Apparatus providing progressive lighting and extinction of articles such as letters,words, phrases, pictures, etc.



July 4, 1933 F. J. BOURGEOIS ET AL APPARATUS PROVIDING PROGRESSIVE LIGHTING AND EXTINCTION OF H AS LETTERS WORDS, PHRASES, PICTURES ETC ARTICLES SUC Filed April 14, 1952 Boar @015 APIARATUS PROVIDING PROGRESSIVE of articles and objects such as Patented July 4, 1933 UNITED STATES FATE NTQOFFICE FERNAND JOSEPH BOURGEOIS AND JEAN JACQUES PARAYRE, OF PERPIGNAN, FRANCE LIGHTING AND EXTINCTION O1? ARTICLES SUCH AS LETTERS, VIORDS, PHRASES, PICTURES, ETC.

Application filed April 14,

Our invention relates to improvements in the apparatus providing progressive variations and changes of lighting, for example the progressive illumination and extinction letters, words, phrases, pictures, etc., such apparatus being applicable to teaching, to advertising, to the production of decorative schemes for festivals, etc.

According to the practical modification of the invention which will be described, an apparatus includes essentially the article to be illuminated, not contained in a plane, a source of light which projects a bundle on this article, a shutter interposed in the path gressively under the control of particularly,

of the luminous bundle, means for operating the shutter slowly in the direction .of light ing, and other means enabling the shutter to be rapidly biased for the extinction. More such means may be constituted by a switching mechanism, cooperating with a thermal expansion arrangement, responsive to the flow of a current: in expanding, this latter allows the shutter to open proa biasing spring, and then'to open the circuit at the end of the trip, whilst another spring brings the shutter suddenly into the position for eX- tinction; the heating circuit being prefercommon or combined with that of'the luminous source. 7

In the drawing attached hereto, which is given only by way of example, Figs. 1 and 2 are schematic views, respectively in vertical elevation and in plan, of an apparatus according to our invention.

1V omenclatarea-ll) the article which is to be illuminated, in this case, the letter 6 deformed and warped, in a shape analogous to that of screw or spiral11 shutter which can be operated progressively,-12 its axis-13 luminous source with reflector-14L projecting a bundle in the direction of article 10, 15 arm of the shutter, an electrical conductor, cooperating with the switching mechanism- 16 the complete switching mechanism in cluding a lever 17 which is mounted on a pivot 18, a biasing spring 19, a fork 20, a conductor roller 21 and an isolating roller 22 mounted respectively on the two branches of ergize the lumlnous The method of operation of the apparatus 1932, Serial No. 605,322, and in France AprillG, 1931,

the fork, 23 and 24 taps ofthe circuit'with the lever 17 and the axis12 respectively, 25 another biasing spring of the switching mechanism, attached on one side to arm 15 of the shutter, point 26.

The thermal expansion device which is responsive .to theflow of a current, includes the expansible wire 27, the guide and reversion pulleys 28V and 29, an adjustable stretchingdevice 30 and a source of current 31, which in the example here shown, serves also to ensource 13.

and on the other side to a fixed described is the following:

The conductor roller 21 being applied in contact on the arm'15 of the shutter by spring 25, a circuit is closed passing through: line 31 side lamp 13, conductor 24, axis 12 of the shutter, arm 15 of this latter, roller 21, corresponding prong or branch of the fork 20, lever-l7, point-23, expansible wire 27, stretching device 30, and line 31side Under the flow of the current, wire 27 (which consists, for example, of an invariant wire 3/10ths of a millimetre in diame ter) expands, whereupon the fork 20: can, under its biasing spring 19, turn clockwise around on its pivot 18 (Fig. 2). causing. arm 15 and shutter 11 to pivot around their axis 12 in the same direction: under these conditions, theluminous bundle projected by the lamp 13, progressively p p In the course of the rotation of the associated devices, comprised in shutt 15, a-mcment arrives when the axis of spring 25, which passes at first to the left is directed along the line 26-12 (Fig. 2), then progresses beyond this line towards the right, and suddenly pulls back arm 15 against the insulating roller 20. The circuit above described is thus open, lamp 13 is extinilluminates article 10. 7

of axis 12,

guished, and wire 27 cools, and therefore con- To give some more particular examples, 17100 we may point out some details in the execution:

(a) The metallic parts of the switchingmechanism may be, made of inoxydable metal.

be reduced, by giving ground to the (b) The rate of heating of wire 17 hot may this wire a sufficiently large size, and by surrounding it with some appropriate material such as minium (redlead), asbestos, etc. o

(c) The entire apparatus is enclosed in a case not shown with black walls including the necessary screens which give a black backletter which is illuminated. This case or boxis sufiiciently large to shelter the letter from the daylight, while still allowing it to be seen.

i A muslin veil placed in front of the bolt serves to mask completely that part of the letter which is not yet illuminated.-

' spaces, we provide an 0 or an The letters are fixed on'the vertical background of the box by one or several bolts.

(cl) For the major number of the letters, the effect of. the deformation due to the perspective is hardly noticeable. However, in the case of the two letters 0 am 5, and for these only, a screen may be used in which these letters are cut out. Behind these open 8 with very wide edges, and warped in such a manner that they will be illuminated progressively. Another meth0d.-Letter 0 for example is .obtained by usinga flattenedspiral which writing Each point-of the'tj shall be largely spaced forms a circle. The deformation which is due to an exaggerated perspective, can be corrected in part, by bringing, in a'sudden slope, the point of departure of the 0, down to the level of the thin final stroke.

Moreover, from the pedagodical point. of view, theefii'ect of the perspective isnot sufficient to deform the letters, especially if one takes into account the following principle,

which is capitalin the consideration of hand- Z, y", will be subject- Basic letters (0, e, i, ed, in their entirety, tion. But those letters which are derived from other ones such as g, can be made in two parts: the;0in green and by rapid illumination; the j in red, which, possible to consider itsas a new part, will be illuminated by, a very slow progression.

in depth from its next point.

wherein the switch to progressive illuminait beingv It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that other modifications could be made according tothis invention, and we therefore aim in the appended claims to cover any other changes and modifications falling within a fair interpretation of the spirit and scope of the invention as defined in the claims.

What we claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent of the United States is:

1. A device of the class described comprising in combination the article to be illuminated, a source of light for projecting its rays on the article, a shutter interposed between the source of light slowly operating the shutter in one direction to permit illumination of the article and rapidly in a reverse direction to prevent illumination of the article.

2. An apparatus of the class described, comprising in combination an article to be illuminated, a source of light for projecting its rays or the article, a source of electrical energy for the source of light, a shutter interposed between the light source and article, I

andarticle, and means for illuminated, a source of light for projecting its rays on the article, between the source of light and article, a source of electrical energy, a switch mechanism including a lever, a thermal expansion device in circuit-with the source of energy and influenced thereby to operate the lever to slowly move the shutter in one direction and rapidly move the .same in a reverse direction, as and for the purpose setforth.

. In testimony whereof they alfix their signatures. r

FERNAND JOSEPH nouaenois. JEAN JACQUES PARAYRE.

a shutter interposed 

